Xotic Effects SP Compressor Super In Depth Review

This is my review of the Xotic Effects USA SP Compressor. In this review we will look at every adjustment possible on this pedal including the internal dip switches to show you just how many compression tones this pedal is capable of.
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[@organjoe]

I usually skip over the lengthy pedal demos, but this one was worth it - EXCELLENT JOB!

[@YourLovelyMan]

I've seen a handful of compressor reviews, and this one does the best job of explaining compression. It also felt like a real review rather than an ad. Great review all around.

[@HomeGuitarMods]

YourLovelyMan Thanks!

[@johnhudak3829]

Bless you. Was having a hard time finding a good explanation of the controls on this thing. Cool demo!!

[@HomeGuitarMods]

Glad to help!

[@michaelhanby7273]

Aside from the typo, this is a really good demo; in depth, leaving me with no questions as to this pedal's operation and effects. I especially like that you went thru the DIP switch settings.

[@HomeGuitarMods]

Michael Hanby Glad to help. And yes, the Typo is really, really shameful. I'm pretty OCD so after it was pointed out by a viewer, it drives me nuts! I actually considered deleting all my videos and starting over! The into is a video that I made with a blank space for me to enter in the product being reviewed. My brain just switched the letters around and I never noticed. Thanks for watching!

[@FeralPyg]

Thanks - useful stuff. I bought this compressor. I've watched this vid twice to help me get the best of the comp.

[@HomeGuitarMods]

Glad to help! It's a great pedal with a lot of options, so get yourself an afternoon to play around and enjoy! Thanks for watching!

[@studebakerclarksnyder3681]

Great review! Very helpful now that I've unboxed and I'm ready to riff.

[@alexcamalda9898]

Awesome review bro! Thank you very much. Going to pick up my SP this weekend!

[@HomeGuitarMods]

+Alex Camalda Thanks! Did you get the pedal? Do you like using it? Thanks for watching!

[@davidcavinder8747]

Great tutorial,thank you for showing the internal dip switches and what they do to the sound.

[@HomeGuitarMods]

+David Cavinder Thanks!

[@sitarbob]

Great Demo of a Really Nice Pedal! Fine Job, Bro!!! I think I am getting one!

[@caseyb732003]

Great review! I've got this pedal and love it, but you did a really good job of describing the functions of the DIP switches. Keep it up!

[@HomeGuitarMods]

Thanks!

[@calebramey]

I have been skeptical of compressors for a while, I have used a Boss and MXR comps and have never liked the sound. This is the first good review I've seen of this pedal and you sold me on it. I love the sounds that you can get with it. Thanks!

[@HomeGuitarMods]

It is a great comp, I leave it on the entire time I play. I originally bought a dyna comp but took it back because it was unusable for my playing style, this thing is awesome! Sounds great with an acoustic guitar as well. I love using this and my tri-reverb for a big lead rhythm acoustic sound.

[@invin7215]

So good. Thanks for the in depth demo. Just ordered one myself!

[@HomeGuitarMods]

Invin Thanks Invin! I love this pedal and I sure hope it treats you well. Thanks for watching!

[@UAC20]

Thank you for doing this for us humbucker players. Very well explained. I wish I had seen this before

[@tonymediati8274]

Wow thanks for the detailed demo 👍🤘✌️

[@DanRodriguez1]

Best demo of the sp.

[@TheBreakersLondon]

Thank you for not using compressor (at least not too much) in the post-production of this video. Unlike in nearly all other compressor shootouts and presentations here I can actually hear the work of the presented unit, not the FinalCut Pro's or video camera's one. Well done!

[@andremellao4882]

Best SP comp review !!

[@LysanderLH]

I found the noise floor comparison very helpful.

[@cspiderm]

Great vid man,informative👍👍👍

[@gotta56forme]

Anthony, thanks for an informative, easy to understand vid of how a compressor works, particularly with a humbucker guitar, my fave. I'm considering my first comp, so I've been watching compressor vids and others left too much to my imagination of how a feature worked. A friend has the Xotic SP, and has offered to loan it to me to try on my equipment, before I buy. I'm going to take him up on it now, thanks in part to your vid.

[@HomeGuitarMods]

Glad to help and thanks for watching!

[@MADMmerf]

Great review! Very informative for someone (myself) who's new to compressor pedals. I think you sold me on the pedal too! Seems super user-friendly, yet capable for anything I'd need. Right now I'm mainly looking for something to even out my signal and give me more sustain. I think I found my solution. Thanks!! By the way, for what it's worth, I disagree with Judd. You talked at a pace that kept the video from getting to long and possibly boring. You held my interest the whole time. Good job. *thumbs up*

[@HomeGuitarMods]

Thanks for the kind words! I absolutely love this pedal! I never thought I wanted a compressor but I needed to smooth out and boost softer notes while playing live. I tried the Dyna Comp but it was way to squishy (exactly what that pedal is supposed to be). I tried this and sense I have had it on my board it has never been turned off. If you can't play one in person, I would suggest ordering it either from Amazon (super easy return policy), or wait until the 4th of July weekend and get it from Prymaxe Vintage . com (they also have an amazing return policy and have 10-15% on pedals every holiday, and then they extend the sale usually two days after they say the last day will be. Thanks for watching and good luck on your compressor search!

[@HomeGuitarMods]

P.S., I find the best placement for me is at the beginning of my chain before my wah and volume pedal. That way you can still do volume swells with your volume pedal without fighting the compressor and it also helps push my wah in places that it seemed lacking before.

[@Chris_Blackstock_Music]

Glad I found this review. Thanks!

[@HomeGuitarMods]

Glad this old video is still helpful. I’m still using this pedal to this day. It’s been through a lot of gigs and hours over the years never had a problem. It’s my all ways on pedal.

[@jaybabin-o2421]

Great Video! Thanks!!!

[@duncansbuddy]

Well stated YourLovelyMan. Not sure where the thumbs downs originated, or for what their reasons were for doing so, but for an experienced guitarist, this guy wasted no time and was detailed and articulate. Thanks Tony.

[@HomeGuitarMods]

Thanks a lot!

[@-_AjB_-]

I was about to buy one on these.

[@Wentru3]

Nice explanation Anthony!

[@HomeGuitarMods]

Thanks! A little long but this pedal can do a lot in such a small package.

[@macwavestudios]

Anthony Brown Excellent review, no useless show off, just clear and plain explanation of what a compressor does.

[@rickmilam413]

Man, that was a really good, lucid explanation of compression and how it works and how this one slightly differs. Well done. Refreshing change from so much of the dreck out there. Best wishes.

[@HomeGuitarMods]

Rick Mylum Thanks for watching!

[@ryanspencerlauderdale687]

Would this allow me to have unity levels after my drives? How would you set it with a humbucker guitar after overdrives?

[@indragupta4521]

This is very very useful review, sir. Plan to use this for bass. However, i have a question. When u demoed the DIP switch no.1&2 by showing the changes of the hiss sound. Isn't that showing more of the 'Release' time than the 'Attack' time? All down is slow 'Release', and all up is fast 'Release'. Correct me if i'm wrong. Thanks

[@drewbarries]

Great review but why did you not show the difference between attack all the way to min and max but not 1 on and 2 off or 1 off and 2 on and are they equivalent?

[@andremellao4882]

Sometimes xotic sp could be misunderstood ! Despite It have just 3 buttons, inside there are 4 switches and it could be a little dificult to arrange all controls !! I had the same problem ! Last year i had a SP but sold it because i did not like it ! After i start to understand compressors and how to use it i bought a Mad Professor Forest Green ( fantastic compressor ) and i decide to give another chance to SP ! So, i tried so emulate Forest Green sound ( sustain and comp kind of sound ) , and after working with all these buttons i found that it could have the same great sound of Mad Professor !! So, the tip is : insise, leave all the 3 first switches down and the last up !! On the outside controls , forget the mid sustain option ! Use only the lo and hi options , and leave the blend knob at 11 o' clock . Using the low option you will have a beautiful clean enhance kind of sound to leave always on !! And when you need to have a more compressed soun for funk/ boost , use hi option!

[@MatzaFTW]

How do you think this would fare as a way to tighten up the low end of a high gain sound? Great review btw

[@user-zt3ij2iv1f]

Great Compressor. Can this noise be eliminated ( when use overdrive, boost or any distortion effects) in any way without the use of noise gate effects? Because the Noise Gate effects close the noise until the end, and when the tone begins to dampen, the noise is heard with it and no more gentle sound is played. Noise is a problem for SOFT note and Soft playing :( I would be glad if you can help solve this problem.

[@Kazshmir]

Your explanation of the attack could be a bit confusing for some, I believe. To clarify: Low/short attack means the compression affects your sound straight away. Attack is measured in ms (milliseconds). Therefore, a high/long attack time means a delay before you hear the effect kick. This means the compressor will let the attack of your pick go uncompressed, but will in turn compress most of the actual tone of the note being picked.

[@HomeGuitarMods]

Thanks!

[@rom661]

Hi. I appreciate the time and effort you put into this. Unfortunately, for me, you missed the most important elements. Although I use compression on humbuckers, one of the things I love is to soften the "pop" on single coils sometimes. Oh, well... The other thing is that I play almost completely clean half the time. How it affects the fidelity while still giving me the subtle compression I'm after is a big deal for me. Take care.

[@josevincentmahinay2074]

the best compressor i guess.

[@timdale3568]

I do get distortion out of this thing, but I still really like it

[@Vikkk1978]

Thank you. Interesting review. If you turn the Blend knob all the way down, removing the clean signal, the compressor doesn't seem like anything special. In such a situation, a good Dinacomp will be better. I got the impression that this is a compressor for those who want it to be on all the time, while the Dynacomp is still to create an effect for a while.

[@HomeGuitarMods]

If you turn the blend knob all the way down the compression effect is removed. Turn it all the way up and then you get that dynacomp squish.

[@Vikkk1978]

@@HomeGuitarMods Yes thank you. I was a little wrong. But I meant that it would be correct to compare this compressor with Dynacomp without blending a clean signal.

[@scottdunn2178]

The SP is the closest to the grey Ross compressor supposedly.

[@imeddy]

6:55 is actually release time.

[@HomeGuitarMods]

This is what is written in the manual about switches 1&2. 1. Attack/Release Time 1 (off)- controls attack time. Can be used with any combination of 1&2. 2. Attack/Release time 2 (off) - same as above

[@ksanders308]

Anthony, those switches may well control Attack AND Release time, however the noise examples you were giving are showcasing the release time, not attack. Attack time is how long a signal can be above the compression threshold before compressing it. Thanks for doing the detailed video though. I'm picking one up this week. I've missed not having a good compressor so I hope this one holds up to the Keeley I used to have.

[@Bukowskithedog]

Does anyone happen to know the ratios corresponding to the High-Mid-Low toggle switch? Thanks,

[@HomeGuitarMods]

I do not and can’t seem to find any info.

[@vcssaofdp]

hello Anthony, Is this a noise pedal as some compressors are? How the level of noise it has when used with distortion? Thanks for the review.

[@HomeGuitarMods]

+vcssaofdp This is a quite pedal by itself but if you have a noisy guitar this will make that noise louder when you are not playing and the pedal is on. Personally, I never turn mine off. There is a little more hiss with the pedal on, but not noticeable enough when playing live to notice while in-between songs. However, if you already have a bunch of noise in your chain, this will accent that noise. My suggestion, buy one from a retailer that allows returns and check one out with your setup. I couldn't hardly play without mine. Thanks for watching!

[@vcssaofdp]

+Anthony Brown Thanks man!

[@HomeGuitarMods]

SP compressor, check it out!

[@stephenwhitney5576]

Hey Anthony .... We talked about multi effects and pedals a little while back.... I've been very blessed the past few months and got some pedals without even paying anthing and getting a behringer pb1000 board... Anyways am still thinking about getting a multi effects too try out what do you think?

[@TheFlightofthewalrus]

The high pass filter vs. low pass filter confused me. It sounded like he was saying the HPF is allowing more highs through when you turn it off... but to my understanding, a HPF cuts lower range frequencies and allows high frequencies through, when you activate it... So wouldn't the HPF let more high range sound through, and less low range, when you turn it on?

[@HomeGuitarMods]

Sorry for the confusion. Low end stays the same , just know that you get more or less high end depending on the position of the switch.

[@jahstix]

how would u use it with an acoustic guitar, with several pedals already on the board? thx

[@magmaman641]

I have an MXR Dyna Comp and one think I absolutely hate is how it completely changes my tone (no blend nob so it's always pretty squishy). Not only that, but it also makes my overdrive pedals way more distorted than I need them to be. If I were to use this comp with overdrive pedals, would the blend nob on this pedal help reduce the craziness that ensues compared to when I use a Dyna Comp? Would I be able to control how it affects my overdrives? Thanks

[@HomeGuitarMods]

Estee Nieves Yes Yes and Yes! I had the Dyna comp as well and felt that it was just plain unusable. Honestly, I leave my SP compressor on all the time, and I mean ALL the time. I use it on my electric, acoustic guitar, and when I play Bass guitar. I have the Volume set to 1 oclock, the blend at about 11, and the comp set to mid, and it gives my soft sounds a nice little push and still lets me play really dynamically while also getting great sustain. Depending on how you set it, this thing can do anything volume boos/ comp wise. Heck, you can set the blend all the way down and just use it as a volume boost pedal. Get one, dont think about it, just get one. Sell that Dyna or use it when you want a really squishy sound, and use the SP for everything else!

[@magmaman641]

Anthony Brown Sweet!! Thanks man. I'll go check it out and probably pick one up! Have a good day

[@EddyRae]

Hi Anthony do you think this could be used as a boost pedal?

[@trintdaddylandis]

EddyRae yes, it can be used as a boost.

[@michael_caz_nyc]

It has 15 db of boost.

[@stubkar]

Adjusting dip for slow attack and quick ish release, along with volume boost into tube amp is pretty spectacular.

[@deftonsleep]

Does it work good with a noise gate?

[@jeremyespencer]

Hi, Can throw a ISP Decimator 2 (or something similar) end of your chain or in between.

[@wchurchill419]

I know virtually nobody uses a compressor pedal with high gain distortions pedals. But would it be possible to use this with a high gain distortion pedal and not hear complete disaster? I ask cause in a very rare combinations of distortion pedals mixed with compression, you can get a beefy bass chugging palm muted speed riffs that sound can sound pretty cool. I bought a 300 dollar pigrtronix philosopher king and the pedal is shite if you ask me. waste of money and dont want to do it again. Or am I just living a pipe dream about mixing the 2 effects. I hear most add compression with their DAW rather than on the pedal board. Thanks

[@HomeGuitarMods]

winston c Many metal guys use compression. The trick us how you set the compressor. If you looking for tight chugs, than you also need a noise gate. Here is a great video of an old rig rundown of Misha Mansoor of Periphery. At 2:47 he talks about using a compressor and noise gate for a tight sound. kzbin.info/www/bejne/q3ebmXV-pNBlrqs If you just looking for more low end, I would look into getting an EQ Pedal. I have this compressor on all the time, even at high gain, but I have always muted my guitar wither my volume nob or pedal when not playing at the end of songs as well as shut off my dirt boxes to not have to listen to hiss in my in ears. The other things is, I set this compressor pretty light, so there isn't as much noise as when using high compression in front of high gain. Hope this helps!

[@wchurchill419]

Anthony Brown​ also bud.....Many more don't use compression in metal. Think why that is. The distorted signal is already compressed and unnecessary to accomplish ultimate brutality out my half cab of classic lead 80's. Frequency and dynamics must be weighed heavily into the equation. Not only is it how you use it, but what kind you get, it's circuitry, capacitors, resistors, diodes, etc. Ex - A pigtronix compression is tailored for clean channel/use as is compression generally. I am intrigued by the maxxon comp however. Metal heads swear by it, just think it couldn't possibly do anything for me personally. I have an amptweaker tight metal pro if I want to tighten my low end for some power chunking, galloping etc. ...Also, It's how you use it against your limiter and gate. My low end is solid as is, honestly have no need for one. Just a naturally curious bugger. The dynamic brutality switch on my metal shaman gives a low end kick that sets the scene just right. Layered overtop, My EQ on my ISP theta boosts or overtones anything I may find lacking. Mid sweep, all there...The circuitry blends just perfect with my set up and their is a builtin ISP decimator that follows the signal instead of clamping frequency or compressing...back to dynamics again. I am very careful and methodical and have thought about this extensively for many years. Maybe, I might pick that maxxon or a Wampler or a Keeley comp up one day. I'm not closed on the topic.

[@timreichert9982]

Winston C It also depends on the amp. I had a 1w Blackstar a while back, it sounded good plugging strait in to it, probably because of the design of the circuitry. My Bugera has to have a compressor before the input or it sounds rough and difficult to play as evidenced in my earlier live videos. Another secret to making a $250 Bugera sound great is by not using the tone stack, in other words I'm running the treble and mid at 12 o'clock, flat EQ. There is plenty of mids and highs in my tone, nice and smooth, less is more.

[@vhollund]

A high pass filter lets the highs pass It is the same as a lowcut

[@TheMFactor-xx7cl]

yeah but... no compression dial, switches are hidden inside the casing. Not very handy, it seems. Confusing to a novice to compressors. Probably more for the pro.

[@HomeGuitarMods]

I’ve had this 10 years now (age of the video) and it’s still on all the time on my board. Between the blend volume and the switch it’s done what I need it too (bring soft notes up but let me still play dynamically). The switches inside just adjust the attack and I haven’t looked at them sense I shot this video. If I want hard squishy MXR dynacomp style compression, blend set to max and switch set med or high. For subtle compression that brings soft notes up and adds sustain, which is how I use it, blend at 11 o’clock, volume at 1 o’clock, switch on lo. Thanks for watching!

[@TheTwangKings]

@@HomeGuitarMods thank you for a very detailed response! I don't doubt it's a good pedal, but as a novice, I'd need to play with dials a lot to figure out what works best in what situation... an attack knob would be nice to have.

[@joseluiscalerocasabona2168]

Que tal si lo pruevbas con un ampli más limpio, la verdad es que el sonido que tienes o que oimos es bastante malo, por lo demás bien

[@down2alpha]

Am I seriously the first one to notice that you spelled guitar wrong @ :07??? Lol!

[@HomeGuitarMods]

down2alpha No and I am super embarrassed about it. I created that intro clip late one night and used it on almost all my videos and never noticed it. I almost pulled all my videos because of it but I decided not to. We’re all human and sometimes we make mistakes. Thanks for watching!

[@down2alpha]

Anthony Brown Sorry, bro.. Just had to poke a little fun at the error. I bought the pedal after watching your review btw. Great review of a fantastic pedal! Thanks!

[@sonnyp4738]

tune your guitar dude

[@HomeGuitarMods]

Sorry about that.

[@juddaustin399]

dont talk so fast man.

[@HomeGuitarMods]

Sorry. After a million takes, trying to get through so much information, and trying to do it all while my daughter has her afternoon nap, things get a little sped up!